Cover plate for cable channels and the like



Oct. 30, 1928. I 1,689,646

' R. TUTSCH COVER PLATE FOR CABLE CHANNELS AND THE LIKE Filed April 22, 1927 WWW. W I

Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES RUDOLF worsen, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

COVER PLATE FOR CABLE CHANNELS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed April 22, 1927, Serial ,No. 185,840, and in Germany April 23, 1926.

According to the present practice the channels which are provided below the floor of workshops, electrical power stations and similar buildings for the reception of electrical cables, pipe conduits or the like, are ordinarily covered by plates made from grooved or fluted iron which are flush with the floor, thus enabling the latter to be conveniently walked upon by persons or travelled upon by vehicles or the like. Such cover -plates, however, are con'iparatively heavy and in addition to this offer only little resistance against bending stresses imposed thereon. Also, if such cover -plates are walked uponby persons or travelled upon by vehicles there will frequently be produced an annoying rattling noise; furthermore coverplates of this kind do not offer any insulating protection in contra-distinction to the surrounding floor which consists in most cases of an insulating material. It'has therefore been proposed to employ plates of concrete as covers for cable channels. Plates of concrete, however, especially in case of great widths of span, will become even more weighty and difficult to handle. For this reason plates of concrete have therefore been employed in practice only to an extremely limited extent especially since these plates have to be frequently removed.

According to my invention these disadvantages are fully avoided by providing a special construction for the cover-plates. An essential novel feature of the construction of a cover-plate according to my invention consists therein, that a hollow upper space is formed in the plate, which space is limited in downward direction by a sheet of corrugated metal or the like and on the lateral parts by a frame of profil iron. The hollow space thus formed in the plate is filled up with an insulating material, such as for instance Xylolith, cement mortar, asbestos or the like. A coverplate constructed in this manner will there fore possess great resistibility and comparatively little weight and may be handled in a very convenient way. A cover-plate constructed according to my invention will furthermore provide suflicient insulation and may easily be made to match the surrounding surface of the floor regarding appearance as well as regarding the properties of its surface.

The accompanying drawing shows an example of a cover-plate constructed according to my invention,

Fig. 1 being a top-view of the new coverplate in its condition prior to applying the filling,

F 1g. 2 a vertical section along the line A B of Fig. 1., and

lug. 3 another vertical section along the line C-D of Fig. 1.

Figsfl and 5 are further cross-sections drawn in an enlarged scale along the line EF of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 showing the cover plate without the filling and Fig. 5 showing the cover-plate after the filling has been applied thereto.

As may be seen especially from Figs. 1 and 4-, the cover-plate consists essentially of a. rectangular frame 1 of angle-iron, a corrugated metal sheet 2 of proper peripheral conformation being fiXed by means of the rivets 3 to the under flanges of said angle-iron. Key-plates 4 are fastened by rivets at two places, as indicated in Fig. 1,to the corrugated metal sheet, said key-plates serving for the insertion of a key, whereby the cover-plate may be conveniently lifted out of the opening of the channel and again be placed thereon. The filling material 5 is filled into the hollow space above the corrugated metal sheet 2 which forms the bottom of the cover-plate, as indicated in Fig. 5, in such a manner that the corrugations of said metal sheet will entirely be covered up by the filling material and so that the surface of the latter will be flush with the upper edges of the frame of the cover-plate. Instead of xylolith, or the like, as above stated, also another plastic mass which hardens after being filled in, such as concrete, impregnated asbestos fibres or the like may be employed as a filling material.

Vith regard to the supporting plate 2 of corrugated metal-sheet it must be noted that its function is a double one, viz, firstly, to support the mass 5 within the frame 1, and secondly, to re-inforce this mass, that is to increase the resistance offered by said mass against bending strains imposed thereon. "While the corrugated metal sheet 2 may resist considerable bending strains in the direetion of the plane of the corrugations, the re sistance which is offered by the supporting plate alone against bending in a plane perpendicular to the corrugations is Very small for obivous reasons. By filling in the mass 5 into the hollow space formed by the frame 1 and the corrugated metal sheet 2, the resistance against bending, which is offered by the mass after being united with the corrugated metal sheet is considerably increased especial- 1y against bending in a plane perpendicular to the corrugations. The corrugated metal sheet 2 together with the filling 5 will there fore form a plate which is most excellently reinforced against bending strains in all directions.

The cover-plate is placed in the manner shown in Fig. 2 upon the properly recessed upper edges of the concrete bedding 6, which forms the channel 8 serving for the reception of the cables 7 It may be noted that the upper surfaces of the cover-plate and the concrete bedding 6 are flush with one another and with the floor of the machine-shop or similar building.

I claim 1. A cover plate comprising a frame of angle metal having an upright outer web and lower inner web; a corrugated plate in said frame having its margins resting on said lower flange; and a hardened mass of plastic material adhered to and filling the corrugations of said sheet and filling the part of the frame above said sheet.

2. A cover plate comprising a frame of angle metal having a vertical outer Web, and a horizontal lower web; a corrugated metal sheet in said frame having its margins resting on and secured to said lower flange; and a hardened mass of insulating material filling and fixedly adhered to the corrugations of said sheet and filling the part of the frame above said sheet and extending flush with the top of the frame.

3. A cover plate comprising a frame of angle iron having a vertical outer web, and a horizontal lower web; a corrugated metal sheet in said frame having its margins resting on and secured to said lower flange; and a hardened mass of xylolith filling said corrugations and the part of the frame above said sheet and extending flush with the top of the frame; the corrugations of said sheet and mass being fixedly adhered to each other and serving to strengthen each other and to strengthen and lighten the cover plate; said sheet serving to strengthen the mass, and to entirely close the frame to form a mold for the mass when plastic. 7

4. A cover plate comprising a frame of angle metal having a vertical outer web, and a horizontal lower web; a corrugated metal sheet in said frame having its margins resting on and riveted to said lower flange; a 1

key plate resting on said sheet and having a wide base riveted to said sheet and an upstanding body portion having its top face level with the top of the frame and provided with an opening for the insertion of a lifting and a hardened mass of insulating material filling said corrugations and the part of the frame above said sheet and covering the key-plate base and extending flush with the top of the frame and said body; said sheet serving to communicate lifting force from the key plate to said flange and mass.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RUDOLF TUTSCH. 

